Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Straight Talk

’They were trapped in the mountains for a day and a night because they were saving me. It’s only normal for them to be resentful.’

Liang Wan’s gaze returned to Lu Xiu’s face, which was so pale it was nearly transparent. She made an instant decision. "Go to the East Market."

Yuan remained silent.

Liang Wan said, "If the Grand Commandant returns to the Master’s Mansion in this state, how will you explain it to them? And even if he does go back, Young Master Zhou must be the one to escort him."

Only then did Yuan turn and leave.

「By the time they reached the villa, it was already dark.」

A maidservant settled Lu Xiu in, and Liang Wan sent Yuan to the Zhou Residence to notify Zhou Yun.

Although Lu Xiu was a martial artist, he was of noble birth. He had never suffered any hardship and had been raised with exceptional care. It was only natural that he would catch a chill and develop a fever after suddenly spending a rainy night sleeping on a large rock in a cave.

By the time Zhou Yun arrived, Liang Wan had just finished having her medicine applied.

Yuan’s explanation had been brief. He had only said that the Grand Commandant had a fever and had fainted, and that it was imperative for Young Master Zhou to come to the villa. He had said nothing more. Full of suspicion, Zhou Yun had come along. He was surprised to see Liang Wan, and upon seeing one of them sick and the other injured, he pointed at them and sucked in a sharp breath.

"What happened to you two?"

A maidservant had already helped her wash up and apply medicine, but the wound on her shoulder and her limping leg were still conspicuous. As for Lu Xiu, he was lying unconscious in bed.

Liang Wan had no intention of hiding the truth from Zhou Yun.

"Someone abducted me. The Grand Commandant was trapped in the mountains while rescuing me, and that’s how he caught a chill."

Zhou Yun frowned. He looked at the unconscious Lu Xiu with a rare seriousness. "Do you know who was behind this?"

Yuan replied, "We don’t. As soon as we subdued them, they took poison and committed suicide."

Zhou Yun thought for a moment, then looked back at Liang Wan. "Have you made any enemies recently?"

Liang Wan gave a wry smile. ’When it comes to my enemies, there are quite a few.’

’At first, I suspected the Lu Family, but after thinking about it carefully, that’s not right. If they really wanted to strike, they certainly wouldn’t do it right on their own doorstep.’

’Could it have been Mrs. Zhang? She’s the one who wants me dead more than anyone right now.’

’But no,’ Liang Wan thought, ’that’s impossible. Judging by what they said, those men didn’t intend to kill me. It seemed they wanted to lay low for a few days before bringing me back to the city. Besides, a sheltered woman like Mrs. Zhang couldn’t possibly hire people with such extraordinary skills, not to mention she’s still under house arrest.’

’Then who could it be...?’

Seeing her frowning in thought for a long time, Zhou Yun found it slightly amusing. "Now I understand why you’re so guarded all the time. You have too many enemies and you’re afraid of being schemed against!"

He turned and sat down, a look of understanding in his eyes as he watched her. His gaze then shifted to the man on the bed. "No wonder you chose him. But for him to be so... to you—"

"Oh no!"

Liang Wan shot to her feet, her lips turning white.

Caught off guard, Zhou Yun jumped. "What’s wrong? What’s ’oh no’?"

’If I couldn’t figure it out before, I think I know what’s going on now.’

’I assumed I only ran into the men in black after leaving the Master’s Mansion, but I overlooked a crucial detail. They might have been tailing me ever since I left the Imperial Palace. Running into the Grandmaster on the road was purely an accident, and it actually delayed their attack.’

’The matter of the Empress’s pregnancy... I’ve definitely become a thorn in someone’s side. I was supposed to go to the palace again today to deliver medicine, but now I’ve been delayed.’

Liang Wan didn’t know what to say. She had promised the Empress she would keep the matter a secret, but now she was in a bind. ’I have to be wary of others, but Zhou Yun... he’s different.’

She turned to Yuan and the maidservant. "Please wait outside."

Yuan glanced at Lu Xiu on the bed, looking worried.

Liang Wan said, "The Grand Commandant only has a chill and didn’t rest well last night, so he’ll be unconscious for a bit longer. It’s not serious. He’ll wake up later."

Only after she said this did Yuan leave with the maidservant.

Once the door to the outer room was closed, Liang Wan said, "I’ve been going in and out of the Imperial Palace frequently these days. It’s not to embroider a likeness of the Buddha for the Empress, as is rumored, but because the Empress is pregnant."

Zhou Yun was stunned. "Pregnant? Why haven’t I heard a word about this in the palace?"

Liang Wan sighed. "That’s the problem. It’s a pulse that I can clearly diagnose, yet the Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau claim they can’t. They keep insisting that Her Majesty is merely suffering from an irregular cycle. It’s obvious someone is intentionally suppressing the matter."

Zhou Yun’s voice was tinged with anxiety. "Why didn’t you tell us sooner?"

"Sooner?" Liang Wan laughed humorlessly. ’It’s true what they say—anxiety clouds judgment.’

"Even if I tell you now, Shao Bao, what can you do? Can you meddle in the affairs of the harem’s Concubines? Or can you command the Imperial Medical Bureau to re-examine the Empress?"

Zhou Yun stood up, but he seemed at a loss for words.

Liang Wan continued, "You are a Foreign Minister. How could you possibly know whether a woman of the inner palace is pregnant? Even when His Majesty ordered the Imperial Medical Bureau to check her pulse, the answer they gave was that she was not pregnant. What makes you think your words would carry more weight than His Majesty’s?"

Zhou Yun was left completely speechless.

Liang Wan glanced at him coolly. "I have been visiting the Imperial Palace for a while now, but I have never seen you, Shao Bao, in Zhaoyang Palace. Why is that? Logically speaking, you are with the Crown Prince all day. If the Empress wanted to inquire about the Crown Prince’s daily life and studies, she would have to summon you. So why has she never taken the initiative to do so?"

His expression turned grim, but Liang Wan had no intention of stopping. "I’ve thought about this myself, and I wonder if I’m correct. You are responsible for tutoring the Crown Prince, so it is proper for you to avoid arousing suspicion with the Empress. This isn’t about maintaining propriety between a man and a woman, but about avoiding the appearance of collusion between the Imperial Court and the harem!

"If word spread that Zhaoyang Palace was colluding with the Eastern Palace, what do you think His Majesty would suspect?"

After asking her question, Liang Wan simply stared at him.

’In my past life, he vouched for Chancellor Cao, unknowingly committing a grave offense in the emperor’s eyes.’

’Gao Qian was volatile and extremely suspicious. He killed many courtiers he distrusted under the pretext of being drunk, but who besides him could ever know if he was truly intoxicated?’

’When Chancellor Cao and the Empress were still alive, he had shown some restraint. But after the Cao Family was exterminated, Wang Su and his ilk only fueled the fire, brazenly purging the court of all dissenters. If Wang Su’s power hadn’t grown so uncontrollable, Gao Qian would never have chosen to prop up Lu Xiu, who had prestige but no real authority. And Lu Xiu would not have had the chance to soar to such great heights...’

’Lu Xiu—’

Liang Wan turned her gaze to the man who remained unconscious. ’It’s not that I haven’t considered telling him about this, but his motives are simply impossible to read. Who’s to say that wouldn’t be just another high-stakes gamble?’

’The human heart has always been unpredictable. My last life was proof of that!’

Zhou Yun silently sat back down, his face pale with a sense of helplessness and defeat.

’The harem must not interfere in governance, so how can the Imperial Court interfere in the affairs of the harem?’

Liang Wan sighed to herself and softened her tone. "There is one thing I would like to ask Young Master Zhou. The Empress Dowager and the Grand Commandant don’t have a good relationship. Aside from him being her younger half-brother and the rumors that he’s a ’cut-sleeve,’ is there any other—"

Zhou Yun started, his lowered head snapping up. He stared wide-eyed at Lu Xiu, his expression indescribably strange. "He... He’s a ’cut-sleeve’?!"

"Liang... Wan!"

The sudden, furious shout made Liang Wan flinch, tugging at her wound. Pain shot through her, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

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